Two former Parramatta Eels players are accused of harbouring semi-automatic weapons and possessing more than half-a-million dollars in cash after dramatic arrests in Sydney's Centennial Park yesterday.

Queensland minister backs teacher tests

Queensland Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek says the states must work with the federal government to ensure teachers have adequate literacy and numeracy skills.

Mr Langbroek welcomed the announcement by federal Schools Minister Peter Garrett that aspiring teachers will have to prove a certain level of literacy and numeracy before they can be accepted into a teaching course.

He said he has long been aware of this problem and raised it during the ministerial council in Sydney earlier this year.

"We are working together both with the deans of education, the federal government and all of the states, because this is not an issue that affects Queensland alone," Mr Langbroek told reporters.

"It's a national issue, one that we need to work together to work out.

"I welcome Peter Garrett's suggestion that this is something we should be doing for our graduate teachers.

"In a nutshell, we need to make sure that our teachers who are about to go into our classrooms are good at the things they're going to be teaching our kids."

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Mr Langbroek said another area that needs to be looked into is just how many students are accepted into university courses, with many graduates struggling to get a job once they attain their qualifications.

"That means we need to look at student teacher intake. We also need to look at the courses that they're doing whilst they're at university to make sure that they are of a moderated standard," he said.